Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction:
Decisions are made with each and every act that we do. May it be in our hardest times of
life and death, or to the simplest circumstances we face, giving judgment is inevitable. Making a
choice is significant in our daily lives for it is what guides us today and what hones us for our
future. Having been granted the power to make an option, it takes one to consider such factors
that will affect his or her conclusion and one of which would be religion. Since the old times,
religion has been a barrier to create decisions. Economically speaking, these decisions had
Decisions being made are some of the times being affected by an individual or by a
groups judgments. Just as said, the economic implication of decision- making depending on
religion has been differentiated since the era of the crusades, religion and economic (and
political) settlements separated since the end of 30 yrs war. The war on lands and who to be
killed were bargained by religion, the Catholics and the Protestants. They were to follow what
their leaders and their religious books have stated showing their faith and loyalty to their own
religions. Creating such adjudications back then has had their own share of pros and cons. After
some time, religious and economical decisions were separated to stand on their own, having no
conflicts in between them. In the Philippines, religion is one of the top priorities and highest
regards of each individual when. As examples of the resolutions made by the religious beliefs on
todays culture would be banning international artists concerts, such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga,
here in the Philippines, emphasizing their liberality and satanic representations in their
performances. Now the big resolution to be made would be for the implementation and
succession of the RH bill, for Catholics they would be against this while for Muslims and
Protestants most would be for it. This research is to show the other decisions being made with
the factor of religion being in conflict with it and to present the different factors of each religion
that may contribute to a conflict of interest for which decision making is necessary.
Knowing of the vast diversity of religions that the Philippine citizens have, we face possible
socio- economic problems regarding this. The following statement of the problem were given:
1. What are the effects of religious beliefs to the hindrance of our countrys progression and
development?
2. Since the Filipino people have various beliefs and religions, how does the government
Objectives:
and development
To gather information about other decisions being made by the government with the
Hypothesis:
Alternative: The Philippine government enforces laws and bills for the benefit of the
citizens. These are well thought by the government before passing and implementation. We know
that Filipinos are very religious. Having diverse religions of the citizens make it a hard time for
the government to pass laws due to the consideration of every religions beliefs.
Null: The government does not have to think of every religious belief of the citizens
because the Filipinos love their country more than their religion. The Filipinos know that the
government is implementing these for the betterment and the development of the country and not
Detailed Outline
Giving judgement for a particular adjudications is inevitable with one's daily lives.
Religion has been a huge contributing factors on the decision making of one person. It affects his
or her persepectives, points of views and opinions on the issues the country is involved with. In
the Philippines, religion is one of the top priorities and highest regards of each individual. This
research is to show the other decisions being made with the factor of religion being in conflict
with it and to present the different factors of each religion that may contribute to a conflict of
depending on religion. It will also conceptually explain the significance of such religion on
decision-making of the people and what are their effects to the progress and development of the
country. This paper will address the following research problems: 1) What are the effects of
religious beliefs to the hindrance of our countrys progression and development? And 2) Since
the Filipino people have various beliefs and religions, how does the government arrive to
study. The alternative hypothesis of the study is that the Philippine government takes into
consideration the beliefs of each religion in the country. Given that the Filipinos have diverse
religions, the progress and development for the country will be difficult to achieve due to the
understanding and addressing each religion's needs. The null hypothesis of the study is that the
government does not have to think of every religious belief of the citizens because the Filipinos
love their country more than their religion. The Filipinos know that the government is
implementing these for the betterment and the development of the country and not only for
The Review of Related Literature section of this paper specified related topics and
literatures. This chapter was framed into 3 main topics with their subtopics: First main topic is
Religions existing in the Philippines. Philippines is a country that was colonised by the
Spaniards, whose primary goal was to spread their religion, Catholicism which is the majority
religion of the Philippine population. Muslims are only 5% of the population and they are the
most significant minority which concentrated mostly on Visayas and Mindanao. The Evangelical
or the Protestants are introduced by the Americans during their conlonization to our country. It is
not as significant as the first two aforementioned. The Iglesia ni Kristo is a religion born in the
Philippine islands and has spread throughout since its establishment. Second main topic is the
Political Issues regarding the religions in our country. With 80 percent Catholics in the country's
population, it is justifiable that some laws of the Philippine government need full approval from
the Catholic Church despite the fact that the Church should be distinct from the Stateand the
State from the Church. The secularization in the Philippines states that the separation of the
Church and the State shall be inviolable. But with the disjunction of the two parties, arguments
have risen. The Church follows the Bible sayings, teachings and judgements towards life while
the State base their arguments through gathered facts and information that will adhere to the
needs of its people. The RH Bill has been the most controversial issue the Philippines had faced.
With the increasing number of birth giving rare, fertility rate and abortion, it is rightful for the
government to take action to avoid future problems. This is the main reason for the
implementation of such bill. The RH bill was and is still being met by myriad criticism, mostly
coming from religious groups. The Muslim group has been deprived of their rights which caused
them to be furious to let their voices be heard. They have also been percieved with bad images
such as terrorists. According to Nasser Marohomsalic, the Bangsa Moro community has
addressed these problems to the government but they seem to be unwilling up until now, to give
them their right to self-determination. The different religions have also caused to have
unimportant holidays that cause slow improvement to the country. Lastly, the Economic issues in
the Philippines. The demands of each individual showing how materialistic each generation has
been getting, the authority and ownership shown through their power in the economy.
serious cause for concern, jeopardizing prospects for long-term economic development. Stability
and growth for the economy is what makes financial freedom a better living standard for our
world today. With that being said, for the growth of the economy alone, it is important for each
The researchers therefore conclude the following: First, the Philippines is a country with
numerous religions that at times can indirectly cause for the slacking of the countrys economy.
Second, the government being declared as secular by the 1987 constitution, the Church continues
on having a say with regards to the governments choices. The RH Bill is a prime example of the
Church continuing its criticism towards the government. Third, the Muslim religion in the
Philippines may only be 5% but it is quite dominant. The Muslims of Mindanao are currently
having disputes with the government for power in their own land. Lastly, the researchers
therefore conclude that religion has an effect to the economy and decision making of the
Philippine government.
It is said in history that the Philippines was a country colonized by the Spaniards. The
Spanish colonization paved to infrastructure and modernization, but the main goal of the Spanish
was to spread their religion. More than 400 years later, the religion influenced by the Spaniards
still lives among the Filipinos. The total population of the Philippines is 107,668,231. Out of all
these Filipinos, 82.9% are known to be Catholic, 5% Muslim, 2.8% Evangelical, 2.3 % Iglesia ni
Catholic
Given that the majority of the Philippine population consists of Catholics, the Filipinos
have fiestas that show their extreme devotion to the religion. An example is the Black Nazarene
procession. Thousands of Filipinos parade through the streets following a life sized statue of the
Black Nazarene. The people will try to touch the statue and upon touching it a miracle might
happen to them. Virtually every town will have a fiesta related to the religion. Many holidays
also are declared for this religion, like Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Holy Week.
Muslim
This religion is concentrated mostly on Visayas and Mindanao. Although they are only
5% of the population, they are the most significant minority. Many rebellion groups have
emanated from their religion due to land claims and other disputes. There have bee various peace
agreements signed but the issue continues on with a new rebel group forming every now and
then. Their main claim is to establish Mindanao as a separate state and government from the rest
of the Philippines. The Islam religion also has their fair share of holidays like Eid Ul Adha, and
Evangelical
The Evangelical is also known as the Protestants. Introduced in the country by the
Americans during the American colonization. This religion is not as significant as the first two
aforementioned. No issues political or economical have risen from this religion; which is a good
thing.
Iglesia ni Kristo
The Iglesia ni Kristo(INC) religion was founded by Felix Manalo. Proudly, its a religion
born in the Philippine islands and has spread throughout since its establishment. Recently, INC
had their centennial celebration, and built a large arena in Bulacan. They named it the Philippine
Arena, and it is the largest indoor domed arena in the world with a capacity of 55,000 people.
(Encarnacion, 2014). It was built for the purpose of worship for the member of INC but it can
also be used by other religions. It can also be used for concerts. The INC is present in
economical progress.
Having different religions in a country that puts much importance to it,
misunderstandings may arise that the rest must accommodate to so that we can have peace.
should be a distinct division to what is favorable for the economy and what is a persons
Political issues
Philippines is the third country in the world with the largest number of Catholics. With 80
percent Catholics in the country's population, it is justifiable that some laws of the Philippine
government need full approval from the Catholic Church despite the fact that the Church should
be distinct from the Stateand the State from the Church. There had been political issues that
resulted between the two opposing bodies. Not only with the Roman Catholic, but also with
other religions existing in the Philippines, it is inevitable that one's faith would affect an
Secularization
The 1987 Constitution, Art II Section 6 states that "The Separation of Church and State
shall be inviolable." It is the right of every Filipino citizen to choose which religion he shall
believe in. With the disjunction of the State and the Church, different arguments have arisen,
such as the following: One, while each and every individual is a citizen of a State, not all
citizens are members of a Church. Two, while the basic interest of the State is in the realm of the
temporal order, the fundamental concern of the Church is in the spiritual domain. Three, and
while the State has and follows a political structure, the Church subscribes to and acts in the
ecclesiastical order.
But the mantra of Separation of Church and State in no way means that the Church
should be silent and stay still about the faith She professes and/or about the morals She spouses.
Peopleeven the so-called Catholicsmay not listen to Her. This is their option, their
RH Bill
Seen as one of the most controversial measures handled by legislators, the Reproductive
Health Bill had languished for 13 years in Congress before it was passed by both the Senate and
the House of Representatives last December 2012. RA 10354 will provide its beneficiaries, as
determined by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) of
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), with universal access to
medically safe, non-abortifacient, effective, legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care
services, methods, devices, supplies which do not prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum.
The RH bill was and is still being met by myriad criticism, mostly coming from religious
groups. It is the primary solution of the Philippine government to the increasing population,
fertility rate and most especially abortion among Filipinos. The Department of Health have a
hand in campaigns meant to raise public awareness on reproductive health (Boncocan, 2012).
Muslim Religion
5 percent of the Philippines's population consists of the people from Muslim religion. A
lack of understanding of the 'Bangsa Moro' (Moro or Muslim religion) by majority of 92 million
Filipinos and, a lack of priority and support by the national government has complicated the
relationship with them. Muslim people were deprived of their rights and that has caused them to
be furious to let their voices be heard. People of other religions misunderstood them for they
have implied an image as terrorists or as bad people. Discrimination is even widely spread. Our
country's government has toned down the issue when in fact, it is in dire need of
accommodation.
According to Nasser Marohomsalic, the Bangsa Moro community has addressed these
problems to the government but they seem to be unwilling up until now, to give them their right
to self-determination. The Muslim people wants to have their own government since their
concerns are not heard. They even have a perception to have war in order for them to be taken
Holidays
With 17 public holidays this year, the businesses are forced to be put into a halt.
But that is still not taking into account the declared holidays like the Papal visit. Too much
declared holidays are inessential for the countrys improvement; Some are necessary, some are
not. Independence day is surely a justifiable holiday, but Chinese New Year isnt. There may be
Chinese who live in the country, however it is unnecessary because they are living in the
Philippines and they should compromise with the countrys own beliefs.
The government declared these holidays to compromise to the beliefs of the people but it
should be the people compromising with the government. The governments main focus is to
develop the economy and this is one of the causes for slow improvement.
Economic Issues
In the world today, economic issues are at its peak. What makes it so significant in the
world today? Probably it would be because of the demands of each individual showing how
materialistic each generation has been getting, the authority and ownership shown through their
power in the economy. Even countries take pride on the increase of each of their economies.
Now, economy in the Philippines is quite low compared to the other counties; may we compare
the Philippines alone with the other ASEAN countries, though I can say that we are still
The Philippines economic freedom score is 62.2, making its economy the 76th freest in
the 2015 Index. Its score has increased by 2.1 points since last year, with notable improvements
in financial freedom, freedom from corruption, and labor freedom outweighing declines in
business freedom and the management of public spending. The Philippines ranks 13th out of 42
countries in the AsiaPacific region, and its overall score is above the world and regional
averages.
Corruption
Registering one of the 10 best score improvements in the 2015 Index, the Philippines has
charted an upward trajectory of economic freedom for the past five years, further advancing into
the moderately free category. Wide-ranging reforms to address structural weaknesses and
improve overall economic competitiveness have put greater emphasis on improving regulatory
Demonstrating a high level of resilience and overcoming the devastating impact of the massive
typhoon that ripped through the central part of the country, the Philippine economy has recorded
Despite notable progress since 2011, however, lingering institutional challenges will
require a deeper commitment to reform. Corruption continues to be a serious cause for concern,
jeopardizing prospects for long-term economic development. The inefficient judiciary, which
remains susceptible to political interference, does not provide effective protection for property
Financial Freedom
This is when an individual wouldnt have to worry of how to get mean of finance. And
having an increased rate of financial freedom in the Philippines that less people are currently
starving and/ or having a hard time to put the food on the table. Stability and growth for the
economy is what makes financial freedom a better living standard for our world today.
With that being said, for the growth of the economy alone. It is important for each
individual to start with oneself. Corruption being one of the biggest factors to the slow growth
and improvement of the economy. When one decides to stop corruption or go against corruption,
leaders themselves, those who are willed with power should learn that creating an awareness and
consideration that with stopping corruption, this could be the key to a better economic growth
Based on the hypotheses formulated by the researchers, the following conclusions are listed:
1. The Philippines is a country with numerous religions that at times can indirectly cause for
the slacking of the countrys economy. As a country respecting each religion, it is needed
to declare multiple holidays every year. This will effect to less work hours and less
continues on having a say with regards to the governments choices. The RH Bill is a
prime example of the Church continuing its criticism towards the government. With the
majority of the countrys population consisting of Roman Catholics, many follow the
teachings of the church. However, the passing of the RH Bill was very necessary due to
the rapid increase in population over the years. It is something that will surely help the
country with population control but a religion opposes thus showing its direct effect on
Muslims of Mindanao are currently having disputes with the government for power in
their own land. They want to have their own government since their concerns are not
heard. Civil war is an option for these people, and obviously war will have a negative
effect on economy. The government will continue to look for a way to keep the peace.
4. Based on the research and conclusions done, the researchers therefore conclude that
religion has an effect to the economy and decision making of the Philippine government.
WORKS CITED